In the WPL 2025 auction, Gujarat Giants ended up buying Mumbai all-rounder Simran Shaikh for a whopping amount of ₹1.90 crore in Bengaluru on Sunday, December 15, 2024. The likes of Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals were involved in an intense battle but in the end, Gujarat managed to seal the deal.
Klinger stated, “We’ve been watching the local competitions closely, including the T20s and the Challengers. She stands out in terms of her hitting power and strike rate, complementing the other local Indian players in our squad. Having someone like her, potentially in our top six or seven who can hit sixes right away, completes our team. We were targeting her.”
Talking about Simran’s performance, earlier, she played for UP Warriorz but failed to make an impact as she could score only 29 runs. She did not get any buyers in the 2024 auction. But then she made a brilliant comeback as she made 176 runs in the recently passed Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in 11 games.
“I have no words to express my joy. Till last night I was just hoping to just get picked by one of the teams. I have been getting non-stop calls since Gujarat Giants bought me at the auction. There were times when it was a struggle to buy a basic cricket kit. But whatever I have got is because of cricket and I will work harder than before,” Simran Shaikh told The Indian Express after getting a massive money in the WPL 2025 auction.
“Coming from a Muslim family and being underprivileged, it wasn’t an easy choice to play cricket. I remember people telling my father, ‘Jahid, kya kar raha hai tu (What are you doing?). It is time she learns ghar ka kaam (household work). Sports won’t get her anywhere. But my father didn’t ask me to stop playing. Today the same people have come to congratulate our family,” Shaikh added.
